Change of heart
by Host100
Summary: When Ian, Jared, Kyle and Aaron get kicked out of their apartment, they seek help in the college girls dorm, looking for a place to stay. Interrupting their very won girls night in, they crash at their place, only to unravel what should have remained untold. Ian looks to dig further into Wanda's horrifying past, no matter how hard she tries to hide.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Hi! This is a new fanfiction which popped into my head last minute. I know I need to work on my own project and my other fanfics but I just wanted to throw this out there. Whether I continue or not is up to you.

**Wanda POV**

I watched the figures move on the TV screen which was hooked to the wall on the bottom of my bunk, paying no particular attention to the comedy TV show. My attention lingered elsewhere and the groans and creaks coming from above me masked out all the sound.

'Melanie!' I groaned. 'What are you doing up there?'

She shuffled and swung her head over the bed frame. 'I need to clear out all Violetta's stuff. You know- before the bed falls down.' She prodded the bed playfully. 'If this thing collapses on you, I'm not paying for your funeral.'

I snorted and checked through my messages on my phone. Most were irrelevant, but three I sent to the trash, avoiding tearing up again.

Mel, Lily, Sunny and I resisted in this dorm, although four other girls had recently moved elsewhere, applying to other college applications. I was happy for them, but it was lonely now.

'I think we need to lighten the mood', Lily announced.

'Great. How should we do this?' Mel asked.

Sunny pursed her lips. 'Let's have a girls night! It'll be fun!'

Melanie was at work already. She finished on the top bunk all too quickly, enough to make me worried that the bed actually would collapse on me in the night. Soon enough the room was spotless and I was plucked from my bed unwillingly.

Lily tossed Mel a bag of popcorn, Sunny managing the fizzy drink cans, ensuring that they wouldn't fizz up and ruin the white carpet.

'Lily- you're in charge of the DVD's. Sunny- the makeup. I say it's almost time for a makeover.' Sunny grinned at this, while Mel continued. 'I'm in charge of the food, and Wanda, take a shower, turn your phone off and then you can help us.' She winked at me.

I groaned. 'Didn't we have one of these 'girl nights' last weekend?' I asked desperately.

'Nope', Lily disagreed. 'That was movie night. This is girls night.'

'No boys allowed', Sunny added.

Lily continued. 'That means no flirting will college boys, Melanie. No video chats and no contact.' She looked at me, smirking. 'And no imaginary dream boyfriends for you tonight, Wanda. I've had enough of you snogging your pillow.'

I made a big deal of planting another kiss onto the fabric stuffed with feathers before lobbing it in her direction, messing up her hair in the process.

When it seemed impossible to protest any further, proving it a fight I couldn't win, I obeyed Melanies commands obediently, taking my shampoos from my washbag before padding into the bathroom.

I switched on the shower and let the warm water wrap around my body like vines. I focused on the warmth of the water which erased all the bad and concealed the scars covering my body.

**Melanie POV**

We chatted amongst ourselves as we set up the room for our very own girls night in. It was a disappointment losing a night to the guys along the corridor, but they weren't worth much anyway. From what I had guessed, I was still waiting to get a good glimpse at the other boys in the flats adjacent to our building. It was an overnight college but that didn't mean that the guys who didn't sleep here didn't attend classes. There were still plenty more people for us to check out. That would be saved for later. Tonight was our night.

'Daydreaming, Melanie?' Lily joked.

'Something like that.'

I grinned at her, but she didn't smile back. Instead, she was glancing down worriedly at Sunny who wore a guilt stricken expression on her face.

I placed a hand on her shoulder. 'What's up, Sunny? Everything okay?'

She bit her lip. 'Will Wanda like this? I mean, I know it's been hard for her and all. Her scars must be bothering her...'

I considered her point. Wanda had joined our dorm in replacement to a vile bitch named Lacey who had actually been dating a guy who had abused Wanda. He had played her from the beginning, and since Wanda had no family left to go to after her older brothers had beat her up, we had taken her in.

She had bad dreams from time to time, but generally seemed to be doing okay.

'I'm sure she'll be fine.'

'A distraction will be good for her', Lily agreed.

We were interrupted by a loud knocking sounding from the door.

**Ian POV **

'This isn't right', I groaned as Jared wrapped his fist on the door. 'We can't just keep asking people to stay at their place just because we got kicked out.'

Aaron chuckled and Jared ignored me. 'What else are we gonna do, Ian?'

'We don't have anywhere else to go', Kyle agreed.

'It isn't right', I protested. 'They'll all be full up!'

'Actually, the woman at the desk said that four of the girls moved out of here recently. There should be enough space.' He winked at me.

I groaned again involuntarily. 'There girls? Jared, c'mon.'

He wiggled his eyebrows but was interrupted by the sound of the door creaking open. A brown haired girl popped her head round the door, her arms crossed across her chest. She was in shorts and an inappropriately low tank top. I guessed that this was her version of Pyjamas.

Her annoyed expression softened as she took in all our faces. She looked each one of us up and down, causing me to feel uncomfortable.

She whistled and clicked her tongue. Jared was already smiling, putting on his flirty face. 'Hey you', he murmured, his eyes bright as he took his turn to look her up and down, lingering on exposed areas of flesh.

'Hey yourself. What can I do for you?'

'We got kicked out of our room', Aaron interjected. 'We need a place to stay.'

'They said you were the only ones with space', Kyle added.

I could see her debating although her eyes were bright and it was clear that we already knew the answer. She opened the door wide, walking back into the room without a backwards glance.

We shuffled in after her, Jared confident and amused.

The room was fairly empty with boxes here and there, probably containing the absent college girls' stuff. The walls were painted turquoise and each section of the room holding a two-person bunk bed was decorated differently. One particular corner caught my eye. Lyrics were strung across the walls and words were inked across the paint. Mirrors cut into shapes were strung around and lights hung from the boards above. It even had a curtain to pull across for privacy.

Two girls looked up from a sofa in the middle of the room facing the large flat screen TV. They were eyeing us carefully, the tanned girl on the left with both excitement and disappointment in her eyes.

'Screw girls night', she said.

They laughed and collapsed in a heap on the white carpet, clutching their stomachs.

'Sit', the girl said who had opened the door, dragging up chairs and cushions to occupy and fill the area.

Jared sat beside her on the couch, Aaron on the cushions on the floor beside the girls on the floor with Kyle on his other side. This time, I was the one debating. Instead of going for the couch like my limbs wanted me to, I took to perching on the chair to the left of the TV.

'Girls, these guys need a place to stay', the girl on the couch next to Jared announced, twisting her hair in her fingers. I could see her itching to apply her makeup.

'Ooh', the tanned girl chimed. 'Why? Where did you come from?'

'I think they're messing with us', the girl next to her sang, giggling.

Kyle poked her playfully from where he sat. 'Don't laugh. It's so cruel. We got kicked out.'

She blinked. 'From where?'

'Across the road in the flats', Aaron said, pointing out the windows.

'These Jackasses just can't seem to keep their act together. The ruddy manager lost it when Kyle kicked its dog.'

I said it all without thinking and too my surprise, they all laughed.

'What can I say?' Kyle laughed. 'I was drunk.'

'Next day, we were out. Forbidden to ever set foot in his place again', I mimicked with the fat managers accent.

They all laughed again, the girl on the couch still eyeing Jared who seemed to be 'speaking with his eyes' to her in particular. I rolled my own and turned to face the girls on the ground.

'That's um… Kyle, Aaron, Jared and I'm Ian', I offered, attempting to seem less stalkerish since we had entered their dorm at… what time was it anyway? It still seemed wrong.

The girl on the couch perked up immediately. 'I'm Melanie. And this is Sunny and Lily. It's nice to meet you. Beer anybody?'

Melanie tossed out drinks, and we turned our attention to the TV, offering up conversations here and there. Melanie played loud music during the commercials and I took to closing the blinds and limiting the amounts of alcohol that I put into my system.

The girl who Kyle had been talking with was Sunny and Aaron was also showing signs of attraction towards Lily. To be honest, it felt strange to be the outsider of the group and I was a little disappointed that there was only three in the dorm, but I was also relieved since none of them were my type. I preferred to steer clear of girls who spent more time on there phones and obsessing over countless movie stars and boys rather than being out in the real world.

Despite it all, I was thankful that we had found a half- decent place to stay.

**Wanda POV **

Once the warm water began to cool, becoming not warm but chilling, I switched off the water, stepping out into the steamy room. Glad for the mist, I found it easy to avoid looking into the mirror and at the scars and bruises covering every inch of my body.

I dried myself off quickly, not bothering to do my hair, and pulled my towel tightly around my body. I applied skin coloured makeup to my arms and legs, allowing myself to go free from embarrassment and shame for one night since I would be wearing my Pajama shorts.

Besides, who knew what Melanie had in stock for me since it was 'girls night?' She could have planned anything. I just wanted to be prepared.

Realising that I had left my clothes in my bag, I stepped out from the bathroom, realising just too late that there appeared to be more than three voices echoing in from the dorm.

I held my breath. Several curious faces looked up at me from the corner.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

I'd like to say a big thank you to AinsleyWright and OhSnap I'm Reckless for reviewing. They did wake me up in the middle of the night since I am in the UK and we have different time zones but that was okay and strangely peasant. I forgot to alter the settings on my ipod (which was smashed but is now fixed). I hope you like this story despite it not being well written. I don't know if i will go far with it or not, but it is a nice break from doing my own work.

**Ian pov**

Mid conversation, when our voices died down, I was proven wrong to expect that there were only three people housing the room. A fourth stepped out from a side door which I guessed was the bathroom, in nothing other than a towel wrapped around her.

I realized that somehow, I had missed the splashing of the water over the loud music and the booming TV. She had long golden untamed hair which hung down to her waist, dripping down her face. She was average height, but possibly slightly smaller, her face rounded perfectly.

She stumbled two steps backwards and caught herself on the door. All eyes swam over to her face. I looked down politely while the others stared.

I saw the moving of feet as Melanie rushed over to her. 'Oh my god, Wanda, I'm so sorry. We were going to tell you when you got out...'

To my surprise, she laughed it off. There was a faint stiffness to her laugh. It made me wonder…

'It's fine, I guess.' She looked around, taking in all the faces still pointed in her direction. 'I guess it's not girls night anymore...' She stage whispered.

'That's their fault, not ours', Lily pointed out, scrambling to her feet.

'Thats Wanda', Sunny offered up to us, smiling shyly.

Aaron held up his hand in a waving gesture. 'Aaron. Nice to meet you.'

We all offered up our names so she knew who was who.

'Kyle.'

'Jared.'

'Ian.'

She stood in the middle of the room, half smiling awkwardly. She motioned to her bed, the one with the lyrics across the walls and the curtain. 'I'll just get my clothes...'

She moved as she talked, grabbing a top and shorts from her bed and shuffled back into the bathroom, crossing her arms across her chest. She clicked the door shut behind her.

Mel breathed out a sigh of relief. Aaron chuckled. 'Nice.'

Lily hit him with a pillow. 'Shut up. You weren't supposed to see that.'

My eyes were still half on the ground.

'Ian, it's okay. You can look up now', Mel laughed.

'Embarrassed bro?' Kyle teased, punching my shoulder.

I dodged his punch easily, catching his fist in my hand. When I finally looked up from the floor, I stopped mid punch, pushing Kyle aside. Lily, Sunny and Mel were huddled together, whispering anxiously.

'What is it?' I asked.

They seemed to be hiding something, looks of worry plain on their faces.

'It's nothing', Sunny lied poorly.

Mel pulled her into a hug, Lily joining her. 'She'll be fine. It was nothing.'

'She didn't seem too bothered by it, did she?' Sunny asked.

I still wasn't giving up. 'Bothered by what?'

They half looked my way, not answering.

'Was she embarrassed or something? Walking in on us?'

I couldn't understand. If somebody was hurt or upset, I had always been one to do something about it.

'Something like that', Lily chimed in, looking more cheery for a change. 'Everything is fine.'

Mel clapped her hands together. 'C'mon guys! Let's lighten the mood. Wanna watch a movie?'

Eventually, we all settled down and the girls scanned through their huge box of DVD's. Since they didn't have a huge selection of non- romance movies, we ended up watching the first couple minutes of Harry Potter before moving onto The Hunger Games.

We threw in odd comments here and there, laughing at the wrong moments. They shushed us, debating on which boy was the hottest throughout the film.

The movie wasn't half bad, although it turned out that what I was really waiting for was the girl named Wanda to emerge from the bathroom.

**Wanda POV**

Taking a few deep breaths, now fully dressed in my shorts and tank top, I prepared to exit the bathroom. My cheeks were still flushed, but thinking about it, I wasn't really that embarrassed. I had been wearing a towel, hadn't I? It wasn't like I had been naked or anything.

Thinking about it, some girls did that kind of stuff every day for attention. Even if I wasn't the flirty kind, it somehow still managed to give me a slight buzz.

Melanie, Lily and Sunny were all very wellbeing, but they were wrong. They still thought that I was majorly affected by my past, but really, that wasn't the case. It happened and now it was over. I had learnt to deal and now I was going to live my life the way I should.

Bold and proud, proving them all wrong, I flung open the bathroom door, throwing my towel over the side of the bath.

Thankfully, the scene before me showed that all attention had not been drawn to me- everyone was sat around the TV, laughing hysterically at some joke. Sunny and Lily were clutching their stomachs, Melanie with tears of laughter rolling down her face.

One face among the rest looked up as I approached, surprise deep in his eyes. He looked like he was holding his breath.

Brushing off the thought that just moments ago, he had seen me in nothing other than a towel, I smiled in his direction. Thankfully, he smiled back, letting go of the breath that he had been holding. His smile was not like the other fake smiles- his smile was warm, welcoming almost. He seemed like he was actually pleased to see me.

I turned in the direction of the TV screen and frowned at the girls' poor film choice. We had seen this film several times over, at least.

I sighed and walked over to the monitor, clicking the button and ejecting the DVD. My face lit up triumphantly when the screen went black.

'Hey, Wanda!' Melanie moaned.

'What?' I asked innocently.

She rolled her eyes. 'I hate to disturb whatever you're plotting but we were watching that.'

'Too bad', I mused.

'Ack. It wasn't too good anyway', the guy next to Sunny named Kyle commented.

Sunny nudged him. 'I like that film. Don't diss!'

Lily just looked at me, her eyes narrowed. She was the ultimate Hunger Games Fan. I held my hands up in surrender.

'Hey, I'm not saying it's a bad film. We've just watched it so many times!' I protested.

Raising from my crouch next to the TV screen, I walked over to my bed, opening the curtain and climbing onto the mattress. I gazed at the rack hooked to the wall and browsed through the DVD's.

'Let's try something new...' I poked my head out from the curtain. 'Any suggestions?'

'Romance.'

'Action.'

'Comedy.'

'Something thrilling- lives need to be lost here!'

'Yeah, what happened to the element of sacrifice!'

My head bobbed backwards and forwards as I attempted to follow the argument half-heartedly. I looked towards the only person who hadn't said anything, pleadingly.

'Help', I mouthed to Ian.

He looked as though he was in deep thought. 'Something with romance, action, comedy and with lives being lost…?' He was lost for a moment before he caught on. 'That settles it. Something sad then.'

I grinned and plucked out a disk at the far end. It wasn't something new to me, but at least none of the others had watched it. I climbed off the bed and inserted the disk into the DVD player and skipped through the trailers before reaching the title page.

'What is it?' Melanie asked, craning her neck round to glance at the box.

I clicked play without any hesitation. 'It's called 'Now is good.' It's something I've had for a while.'

She looked intrigued.

'The guys will like the beginning, at least.' I smirked.

At this point, they all perked up, suddenly very aware.

Jared got the final say. 'Okay. Let's do it.'

I settled on a chair next to Ian, who I whispered a word of thanks to. We whizzed through the beginning of the film and I was right to think that they would enjoy the opening scene the best. Jared whooped all the way through while Aaron threw in another wolf whistle.

I was glad to be next to Ian who didn't interrupt throughout the film. Since I had seen the film already, I nipped out occasionally to retrieve more beers and wine, and was speechless when Ian declined his.

I sat down next to him after storing away the remaining drinks.

'I'm not being rude', he whispered to me apologetically. 'I just don't really fancy getting drunk tonight, especially with these guys.'

I shook my head. 'Don't worry about it. I'm not having any either.'

His eyes were still on the screen when he continued, his voice so low that only I could hear him. 'Just so you know, honestly, I feel really bad about earlier. I'm really sorry.'

I smiled, my eyes too, still trained on the screen. I could briefly see him smile back nervously out of the corner of my eye. 'It's fine. I guess I should have checked before walking in, but it was supposed to be a girls night in. And well...' I paused. 'You definitely aren't girls.'

He chuckled quietly. 'I'd hope not.'

When it got near the end of the film, everyone was too drunk to really take in how sad the scenes were becoming. The girl named Tess who had given up her leukemia treatment was coming to the end of her life, her family preparing to say goodbye. The only other person who was actually watching and taking it in was Ian.

When the credits rolled, I quickly brushed my hand across my cheeks and under my eyes, erasing any tears that had escaped whilst I had been overwhelmed. Even though I'd thought that they had gone by unnoticed by the rest, I felt a pair of eyes on my face.

Before I knew what he was doing, Ian leaned forwards and wiped his finger across my cheekbone, riding of one final tear that had trickled away, stranded away from the rest. He looked into my eyes, his being a pretty shade of deep blue, before sitting back down on his chair.

When Melanie stumbled over to the lights, illuminating the room, I was pleased to find that nobody had spotted us. I was going to have to find time to thank Ian later.

'Now', Mel announced.

Lily and Sunny clapped their hands together in delight.

'I think it's time to play 'spin the bottle.''

XxxxX

We were all sitting in a circle around two bottles surrounded by their very own circle of people. Kyle, Ian, Aaron and Jared were wearing blindfolds which Lily had miraculously produced out from the blue.

This was a very different game to the original 'spin the bottle.''

Minutes earlier, we had all posed for our own individual picture which Sunny sent to her laptop to print off. We all pulled our own funny faces. They were now placed around the bottles, the girls around one, the boys around the other.

'So, this is how it works. We spin the bottle on the right-'

'Hold up', Kyle said. 'Which bottle is that?'

Lily rolled her eyes. 'The bottle with your faces on it, Kyle. Duh.'

He nodded, his eyes still concealed by the black cloth. 'Right.'

'Like I was saying', Mel continued. 'We spin the bottle on the right, and it will land on one of you guys. Whoever it is, we will first ask for a truth- something that you wouldn't tell anyone.'

'Next', I continued, surprising both Mel and myself, 'whoever it is that it has landed on will have to spin the bottle on the right-'

'The ones with your faces on it, right?' Kyle joked.

Melanie hit him with a pillow. He grunted and Sunny continued.

'You will have to spin the bottle with our faces on. It will land on one of us. We're going to record a message from ourselves on voice changer. You will then have to guess who it is.'

Jared frowned. 'This is very confusing.'

'Deal with it.'

He reached out to tickle Melanie, messing up the bottles in their circles in the process.

'And that', Lily announced, 'will decide our bed arrangements.'

This time, Ian stiffened. 'What do you mean, bed arrangements? Can't we just take the top bunks?'

Melanie smirked. 'There broken', she said, stressing the word playfully.

Ian groaned.

'Looks like you're in for a fun night, bro', Kyle laughed.

He didn't answer.

XxxxX

Four recorded messages later, we were all set and ready to spin the bottle. Melanie waved me forwards.

'Wanna spin?'

I bit my lip and shook my head. 'Next time. You go first.'

She nodded. reaching out for the bottle, she spun it with force, all of us watching eagerly as it landed on Aaron.

'Aaron, you're up.'

His face lit up. 'Okay. What do I do?'

'You say something about yourself.'

'Okay…'

'Do the story from kindergarten.' Kyle suggested. 'That's embarrassing, and it will make them laugh.'

'Guaranteed', Jared agreed.

'Okay. Go for it', Sunny encouraged him.

He shuffled uncomfortably. 'Okay. Fine. I was in kindergarten and I was just finishing up...'

'In the bathroom', Ian joked.

'Yeah. In the bathroom. Then this inspector walks into the place. I could hear him from the hall. So I walked out, and he's like talking to everyone. But then, I kinda fell…' He paused. 'The other kids were baking and...'

Jared snorted. 'The whole frickin mixture flew into his face.'

We couldn't help it- We all burst out into a chorus of giggles, imagining this scene in our heads. Kyle was the one to stop us.

'Hold up- it's not over yet.'

'Seriously? How is it possible that there's more?' Lily giggled.

Aaron sighed. 'I was small and I couldn't quite do up the belt on my trousers...'

We all knew what was coming.

'Boom', Jared interrupted. 'Little kid running around screaming as the inspector tries to chase the little kid who threw cake mixture at his face, who just happened to be running around screaming in his underwear.'

Out went the last of my control. More laughs spilled out from the four of us, Kyle, Jared and Ian joining in. Aaron just smiled.

'There. I said it. Now can I spin the bottle?'

After two rounds, Melanie was paired with Jared and Sunny with Kyle. I spun the bottle and held my breath as it landed on Ian's name. I looked at Mel nervously. She nodded in encouragement.

'Ian. It's your turn.'

His shoulders raised either at the mention of his name or my voice which hadn't sounded out for a long while.

I listened to his story intently. I was slightly disappointed when he avoided detail, but it was satisfying anyway.

'It's nothing much. I was about eleven and I was playing in this concert. My dad promised that he would come.'

Kyle's mouth turned down, his blindfold now removed. Only Ian and Aaron wore them now.

'Anyway, in the end, he didn't. It was at the end when the lady comes up onto the stage and asks me to come up, saying that I have won the prize of first place for the best piece. She gives me the trophy and everyone claps...' He paused. 'But then my dad walks in. Even though he can see me, he just stands there and doesn't clap and doesn't smile. So, in the end, I smash the trophy along with the guitar on the floor of the stage, right there in front of everyone and walk away.' He smiled. 'I guess it was a way of showing him that I didn't like the school, music or him anymore.'

Melanie, Lily and Sunny laughed. Jared and Aaron chimed in. Kyle and I were the only ones not laughing.

The way Ian's mouth was set into a tight line reminded me of myself. Something told me that I wasn't the only one with a dark past.

Before I could let my thoughts could settle, Ian shuffled along and spun the bottle round…

My eyes widened as the bottle slowed. It landed on the picture of the girl with golden hair, rounded face and freckles.

Me.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Apologies about the poor quality that this is written in. I also can't remind myself what has happened and where to continue since i have no wifi. That also means that I can't shout out the reviewers but I can say that I read EVERY single one. I have also noticed a number of people following this story and I would like to thank them and possibly encourage them to leave a review!? I wrote the first part of this ages ago so it sucks. Thanks.

(the next chapter is longer because I split them in two because it was 5000 words

**Ian POV**

I paused, waiting, the blindfold tight on my eyes. The scraping of the bottle scraping against the floorboards as it spun slowly died down, leaving nothing but my ragged breathing. The choice was either Lily or Wanda, an equal possibility either way.

Please. Whatever god is up there… Please. Let it be Wanda.

A voice let out a high pitched giggle, Melanie no doubt. Whispers flooded the room.

'Well?' I demanded. 'Who did I get?'

'Chil Ian', Kyle chuckled playfully, clapping his hand on my shoulder.

I sighed and waited, drumming my fingers on the floor. While I waited, I heard shuffling beside me as bodies got to their feet. I shook my head, confused.

'This works differently today. Ian, Aaron, you listen to the recordings later. You can take your blindfolds off now.'

We obeyed, but when I regained the ability of sight, it was only Melanie sitting crossed legged in front of us. Kyle and Jared were still there, but the rest of the girls had vanished.

'Okay…?' Aaron said, slightly spooked.

The lights had dimmed and Melanie's face wore a wicked smile.

I crossed my arms. 'C'mon, Melanie. Who did we get?'

She smiled and shook her head.

Jared laughed, on his feet, and walked over to us. 'Melanie's playing more games.' He paused. 'You can't blame her. It's fun and she always wins.'

He ruffled her hair and she swatted his hand away playfully. She hopped to her feet.

'I've gotta go.' She winked at Jared. 'Instructions are in the draw- we're using old maps.'

Aaron and I looked at each other. 'Maps?' We asked.

She smirked. 'The instructions are in the draw.' She repeated, walking over to the door.

'Instructions for what? Where are we going?' I paused. 'Where are you going?'

She nodded towards Jared.

'It's one of her games. Traditional, apparently. It's like a treasure hunt or something', Jared said excitedly.

I looked back towards the door, although Melanie had already disappeared through it. Her voice echoed down the hall.

'Don't forget the watches!' She called.

I squeezed my eyes shut. I didn't share Jared's enthusiasm. Once Melanie's footsteps disappeared, I turned around to glare at Jared. My eyes spoke for themselves.

What. The. Hell.

**Wanda POV**

One by one, we clambered into the hired van that Melanie would use to drive us all away into hidden locations, creating distance between us and the guys. Although Melanie hadn't exactly explained the rules and how the game actually worked, I was sure that they would figure it out soon enough.

All the instructions were inside the draw back in our dorm. Usually, I would find the game stupid. Melanie would use me to entertain her 'boy-friends'.

She hated that I was still uninterested in boys, although that was a fact that had passed its sell by date. Something had sparked- Ian was going to flip that thought around.

'All buckled in?' Melanie asked.

Lily rolled her eyes. 'Yeah, we would be by now if the back of this stupid van actually had seatbelts.'

'Or seats!' Sunny chimed in.

We were all perched in the back amongst all kinds of junk. The floor made me shudder at the thought of sitting down on its black dirty surface, so instead, we crouched, yet to fall back down on our asses.

'Please, Mel', I begged, taking in the sight of the floor, spotting movement in the corner of my eye. 'Drive slowly. This floor looks like shit and I think I just saw something move.'

Lily and sunny squirmed. 'Where! If I spot a cockroach, I swear to god, I am going to jump out of this stupid van.'

This just made Melanie laugh. She revved the engine and the buildings around us blurred.

I snorted. 'Laugh away. But at least you're not the one sitting back here.'

'If we come out with black butts, you will be sorry', Lily added.

The motion of us speeding past many streetlamps seemed to create pretty patterns which never faded, even behind closed eyelids.

Eventually, the worry of coming out with black stained clothes was no longer an issue. First Sunny, then Lily were whipped out from the van and changed into glamorous dresses. Melanie obviously had thought this through.

Next, it was my turn to throw on a dress as we arrived at my location. It was a short red one which I surprisingly didn't find too bad. Yes, it was a bit too revealing for my liking, but that was just Melanie's taste. I was relieved to find that she had gone easy on me.

It was red with black crisscrossed straps across the back, showing a lot of my skin there. It was fairly free and comfortable, not too tight on the legs and shimmered, even in the dim moonlight.

Melanie handed me two black shapes in the dark. 'Heels', she ordered. 'Put them on and lets go.'

I stifled a groan. 'Heels? But Mel-'

'No buts', she interrupted. She waved her hand in the air, motioning for me to quicken my pace. 'Get a move on.'

The heels were nice, although they were too high and uncomfortable. The places that Melanie put me in to hide and wait for the 'mystery man' to collect me from weren't all that decent. I only hoped that she didn't expect too much of me. I wasn't keen to return home with a broken neck.

We walked onwards for a while until Melanie produced a blindfold so that I wouldn't know my way back. 'Spin round', she said.

I did so on her command, groaning. 'Is this really necessary?'

'If you want to play the game right, then yes, it is necessary', she replied.

'If I remember correctly, I don't remember volunteering to play the game at all.'

She tutted. 'C'mon, Wanda. I know you better than that.'

I looked at her, confused, as she waited for me to reply, or catch on to what she was saying. Unfortunately for her, I didn't.

'Isn't there a particular motivation this time, huh?' She wiggled her eyebrows.

My thoughts drifted off to Ian and how I had willed for the bottle to stop spinning so that it reached my picture. Something about him caught me- he was kinder than most, and when he had talked to me, for the first time in years, I felt like I could breathe again.

I also felt more fidgety- more energetic. I had hopes for Ian, although I had no idea how I was going to connect with him. I had no idea how long they planned to stay in our dorm, also how on earth I would make him stay.

'Earth to Wanda?' Melanie snapped her fingers, making me blink. I felt a blush creep it's way up to my cheeks.

Melanie looked at me, grinning. 'I told you', she sang. 'I can see it!'

I shrugged, looking down at my feet, making the most of sight before it was cut off by blackness as Melanie tied the blindfold tightly over my eyes.

'I don't know what you mean', I eventually sighed, fooling nobody.

I couldn't lie to save my life. Mel proved my theory correct.

'Liar. I can see that you like him.'

She walked me forwards, her arm around my waist. I had a hard time admitting my feelings to myself, but eventually, I swallowed the truth whole. Something definitely felt different. Strange feelings were drawing me in towards Ian, and I was just going to have to follow them and let them lead me onwards.

The conversation was long and irrelevant. All my thoughts were of Ian.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

IMPORTANT- THIS UPDATE CAME IN TWO PARTS. I HAVE ERASED THE NOTE FROM CHAPTER 3 AND PUT THE REAL CHAPTER THERE. PLEASE REVIEW

**Ian POV **

Jared unfolded the piece of paper, reading aloud whilst Kyle handed out the individual maps and other necessary items and equipment.

'You have chosen your partners. Now find them.' Jared paused for a wolf whistle. 'Each of you must follow the map directions to find us. You are given brief directions but you must hunt for clues along the way. You may need some tools along the way which are in the coloured bags which connect to the maps.'

I looked at Aaron and shrugged. Kyle snatched the list out of Jared's hand and I craned my neck round to take a swift peek of the paper and its contents.

**Jared: Blue. Clue number 2**

**Kyle: Yellow . Clue number 4**

**Aaron: Green. Clue number 1**

**Ian: Red. Clue number 3**

**Call 28356296 for car hire.**

**First back wins.**

I shook my head. 'So is this like a scavenger hunt or something?'

Aaron nodded. 'Looks like it.

'But shouldn't we have been told by now who we are actually going to be finding?'

'And sleeping with?'

I elbowed Aaron sharply in the ribs before looking back to Jared and Kyle. I crossed my arms, waiting.

Kyle caught my eye. 'What?' He exclaimed.

I snapped my fingers. 'So who did we get?'

'Do I get Lily or Wanda?' Aaron stepped in.

Jared and Kyle looked at each other and paused momentarily before they broke eye contact and shook their heads, a sheepish smile on Jared's face while Kyle wore a smirk.

I raised an eyebrow.

'Seriously! Come on, man. Tell us!'

Jared turned his back on Aaron. 'Not a chance.'

They proceeded to grab their items while I stood in the center of the room, lingering. My mouth was set into a grimace. Kyle nudged me with his shoulder as he passed me.

I looked at him with the most innocent and pleading expression that I could manage… all in vain.

'Don't even try, Ian', he laughed.

'Please, Kyle. This isn't fair-'

'What are you gonna do about it, bro? Leave the mystery girl standing there, quite possibly alone in the cold? You know what would happen then.'

'Sure as hell I do. You guys would get drunk, head back here and forget about her while I would pace up and down the street until I would go and collect her. I'm not as stupid as you, Kyle. I have a heart.'

'Sure you do', he replied, winking at me. 'You should be pleased that Mel is teasing us like this. If it's not the one you would personally choose, then you should go and hunt the other down by yourself- get a head start.'

'Already beat ya on that one', Jared called, rushing down the stairs and swinging the door shut on Aaron's shoulder, who grunted loudly, before chasing after him, right on his heels.

Just as I was about to speak, Kyle placed a hand on my shoulder. 'Look, bro. Just have fun, okay? Loosen up. You need it.'

He gave me one last encouraging grin before parting. I waited until his footsteps had disappeared before I moved a muscle. I preferred to work puzzles out in quiet.

I walked over to the draws, bending down to pick up my map which was discarded on the floor. I also grabbed the note which would guide me along, double checking that the map was somewhat relevant to the colour red. Sure enough, it had a small red shape in the top left hand corner.

I grabbed the red rucksack from the corner of the room, unzipping it and scanning through its contents. Inside was a compass, a crowbar (not that I had any idea what it was doing there), a penknife, a radio and a watch which was currently counting down from 60.

The penknife and the crowbar made me curious but edgy all the same. I didn't quite understand what Melanie would expect me to use them for. I also wondered what would happen at the end of sixty minutes. I also found this intriguing. Melanie had obviously taken this further than I had imagined.

I attached the watch to my right wrist and zipped up the bag, examining the map. It had lines squiggled here and there in different coloured pens, although it gave me no direct route. Finally, I picked up the first clue. I read it aloud, allowing my brain to function correctly.

**Open, the sound of cars speeding by and that strange metallic smell.**

I picked up my jacket and threw it on, pulling the red rucksack over my shoulder. The clue was simple enough. The sound of cars speeding by suggested that it was outdoors, open backing up that statement. The 'metallic smell' was the real clue- the smell of Gas.

It was almost too easy to unravel.

I took the stairs two at a time as I walked down the stairs, determined but in no rush to be anywhere in a hurry. I hopped on my bike, ignoring the mention of car hire, and revved the engine, heading off to our local gas station.

OoO

First came the Gas station and the second clue wedged into one of the pay machines, next the park after being directed there by a note reading

**'don't step too close to the water.'**

On the back, it had said

'**Only meet halfway. Don't be a coward.'**

There was the number 100w scrawled in the corner.

I had taken one hundred Melanie sized steps west and reached into the pond with a stick, retrieving a key with the number 36 attached to it.

Next, after wasting fifteen minutes, driving around aimlessly, I eventually reached a block of flats and had entered the key into flat number 36, triumphant when the key had clicked round, swinging the door open.

The note on the couch read

**'Danger. Avoid being too attached to your fingers.'**

I had wandered around for a few minutes before stumbling across the blender on the kitchen work surface. The note on the couch had made me nervous. With a spoon, I had fished out a laminated and somehow undamaged piece of paper with numbers on it.

**20 15 23 5 18**

At first, I had been clueless. I had checked the internet on my phone, coming up with nothing. No ideas came to mind, and eventually, I decided to go down with the usual: get on the bike and drive.

The map was starting to lead me somewhere, and I followed the route, keeping a close eye on the timer ticking away on my wrist. I still had around half an hour left, although with the progress I was making, I held little hope that I would arrive anywhere before the timer hit zero.

Eventually, after hitting a small town not far from home, I dismounted my bike and started to take a look around on foot, glancing back at the map every now and then. I was on about my tenth glance when I realized what the small red tag in the corner of the map resembled.

The lines made out the arches of the older buildings near the back of the town, and I proceeded in that direction. Taking note of the hidden clues, I scanned the items in my bag once more.

Next, I realized that I was smart to grab the note from the instructions. The words forming my name were swirled in what I had first thought was Mel's handwriting, but I now knew that the flick of the I was taller than most and the dot formed a W.

I whipped out the compass and stepped in that direction. Occasionally, I pressed the button on the side of the radio, listening to the buzzing meaning that I was out of signal and not within reach of the device that it was paired to. I went on like this until the buzzing disappeared.

It was then that I cracked the code. **20 15 23 5 18** was a word.

I counted through the alphabet, scribbling down the letters one by one. Tower.

I looked up, alarmed. The tower was taller than the rest of the buildings and slightly slanted, making me edgy. I wasn't keen to venture up there, although the concerns about either Lily or Wanda's safety beat the anxiety.

I whispered each name aloud as I climbed the steep, spiral steps.

Lily… Wanda… Lily… Wanda… Lily… Wanda…

Whichever name I landed on when I reached the top would decide everything.

LilyWandaLilyWandaLilyWandaLilyWandaWandaWandaWandaWanda

When I reached the top, it no longer mattered. I stumbled backwards and caught myself on the rail. There, in the center of the dangerous shaft, tied to the metal pole, was Wanda.

**Wanda POV**

I shivered involuntarily, my spine aching from both the cold of some sort of metal pole behind me and from the excruciation position it was arched into. Melanie had gone slightly over the top. Not only had she blindfolded me, but she had also secured my arms and legs to the pole with rope which dug into my skin.

I could imagine the bruises and scars that would be forming on my pale skin but I was also glad that they would cover all my other scars which covered my body from head to toe.

The cold air fanning onto my face suggested that I was still outside, although Mel had said that we were going above the ground. I couldn't help but wonder. Where the hell was I?

My thoughts were interrupted by a shuffling sound. My head snapped to the side, following the direction of the noise. At first, I thought it had just been my imagination. That I was going to have to wait for another hour for someone to collect me.

I immediately began to worry. What if Ian never found me? Melanie, Lily and Sunny wouldn't come back for me till the next day. They would be too drunk and caught up in the boys to notice my absence. It had happened before.

However, I was proved wrong as a small gasp followed the shuffling. My hands clenched into fists. I wanted to call out- to ask if anybody was there. For all I knew, It could be anybody. Instead, I stood there, my feet and calves aching from the deadly heels, shivering, and waited. I couldn't will my lips to move.

After the gasp came a sigh. 'Shit', somebody cursed.

I froze. I listened to a series of footsteps growing closer and closer, squeezing my eyes shut over the blindfold, wishing that it would simply disappear, taking me along with it.

Eventually, the panic took over me, throwing away all warnings begging me to stay quiet. I did not like this game. My past always interfered.

He traces his fingers down my cheekbones, using his scarf as a blindfold. He ties it around my head too tightly, making my head throb. I try to push him away, swatting at him with my arms, but he grabs my wrists, pushing me back into the wall. My back aches and I cry out, tears flooding into the material of his scarf. The scarf is so tight that I find it hard to believe that it is physically possible for me to cry. Still, somehow, I manage.

He removes his belt and pulls my wrists behind my back, pushing the buckle into place, making my skin burn. Suddenly his hands are everywhere, his body pushed up against mine. His weight traps my legs, preventing me from using them as a method of defence.

He touches me in places I don't want to be touched- his lips crash hard against mine and he bites down hard, his hands clawing at my skin. Soon enough, I am on the floor and he is ripping off my jeans.

Stop… stop…

It hurts…

Make it stop…

I snap back into the present and open my lips to speak. 'Is anybody there?'

My voice was barely raised above a whisper. I would be surprised if anybody could have heard me at all. My own ears could barely register what I was saying. My hands shook, still desperately trying to block out the memory. For once, I was grateful for the blindfolds presence- that way, nobody could spot the tears welling up in my eyes.

There was a cough before somebody replied. 'I can't imagine how stalkerish this must seem...' A pause. 'There is a hook just above your head- If you stretch up then you can get rid of the blindfold...'

I waited. 'Is it sharp?'

'No, but it will be able to catch it and pull it off' the voice replied. 'Be careful.'

Being careful not to move my head too suddenly, I stretched up on my tiptoes, grateful for Melanie's killer heels that added on a few inches to my height. I tilted my head backwards until it touched the back of some sort of hard, cold metal surface.

'Am I close?' I asked hesitantly.

'A little higher and to the left. Just watch yourself.'

I did as they said and stretched upright, craning my neck, until I felt the hook slip behind the cloth and into my hair, latching onto the blindfold and slipping it off from my eyes.

As soon as I was free, I automatically wiped the tears from my eyes and blinked rapidly, squinting through the darkness. I was in no way prepared for what I saw.

'Whoa...' I gasped.

I was higher up than I expected, standing on a wooden shaft attached to a pole which seemed to be holding up the building.

'How the hell did Mel get me up this high..?' I mused, thinking out loud.

'The question is in fact, how the hell are we going to get you down', a low voice chuckled.

I gulped and looked down for the first time, following the sound of the voice. I had a feeling I knew who it was. I was happy to find that I didn't seem to think I was talking to a total stranger, but I had to check, just to be sure.

I looked down to meet Ian's face, his eyes alarmed. His hands were gripping the staircase rail tightly. He seemed to be nervous, although shouldn't everybody be while participating in one of Mel's games?

Anyhow, I felt more than nervous. I was only just taking in exactly how high up I was and how Melanie had completely lost her mind. Was she trying to kill me? The platform I was stood on was not at all sturdy and swung with me slightly as I shook with terror.

'It's you', I whispered.

He bowed his head. 'It certainly is.' He paused. 'Sorry if that's a disappointment to you.'

I laughed shakily. 'How could it be?'

'I'm not exactly the most fun to be around. Like now for example. All I want to do is get you down and get the hell outta here.' The last part he mumbled so that I barely heard it. 'How can anybody in their right mind call this a game?'

'That's Melanie for you.' The sound of her name made him wince. He obviously hadn't had any fun in the last hour or so.

'She's not all that bad you know.' My words came out in a rush. 'She was going to stop the bottle, you know. When it landed on me. I didn't want to be with anyone else, and you were nice to me, right? I probably wouldn't be here if it weren't for you… and I don't know why I am telling you all this...' I added another shaky laugh, although it was completely forced and unconvincing. I was in no mood to laugh right now. Scared. I was just plain scared.

'Wanda, look at me', he commanded.

I blinked away tears and did as he asked. By his expression, I could tell that he could see the terror in my eyes.

'It's going to be okay. I will get you down from there, I promise.' He shuffled with his bag and freed one hand. 'But first, can you tell me what happens at the end of this countdown?'

I gulped. 'We've never really used them before...'

He was staring at me, trying to read me and probably seeing right through me. I decided to give him the truth.

'I don't know', I sighed, this time, allowing a few tears to escape from my eyes. They rolled down my cheeks and down my neck since I had no hands free to wipe them away with.

Ian took one last look at me, his eyes following the tears down my cheeks, before turning his back on me, walking away.

'Wait!' I cried. 'Please. Don't leave me! I don't want this again.'

All the previous experiences flooded into my thoughts, images of me left cold and alone invading my mind.

'Wanda, I want you to be calm. I'm gonna get you down, okay?'

I choked on a sob and nodded.

The darkness cut off most of my view but I briefly made out his figure jumping up, probably getting a hold in the rough brickwork. He dug his fingers into the cracks in the wall and pulled himself upwards until he was standing on the wooden shafts on the outside of the wall.

The wooden planks only stretched forwards for a few meters, only getting him halfway across the room opposed to where he needed to be.

Letting Ian work it out for himself, I closed my eyes and waited.

'You doing okay?' He called out.

'Better', I admitted. 'Sorry. Sometimes I get panicky.'

'Don't worry about it. Look, I'm nearly there, okay?'

'Okay.'

'It can't be great up there for you- how do you feel about a distraction?' He asked me hopefully.

'Sure, I guess.' I shrugged.

'Tell me about yourself', he said.

I could briefly hear him pushing planks aside, making his way towards me, step by step.

'There's not much to tell', I finally managed, dodging his question.

He snorted. 'I think we can both agree that there is more to you than meets the eye. Maybe you're hiding something, or maybe you're not. I won't know until you tell me.'

I pursed my lips. Nothing about my past would please him, I was sure of it. If I told him, would he take advantage of my weak situation?

'I know you're different. That's what I know', Ian said, jumping in.

I took a deep breath and gave in. 'I'm not like them- Lily, Sunny and Mel, I mean.'

In the darkness, I saw him nod understandingly. It was almost like he had already worked out that fact for himself.

'They always find everything so easy. They like boys, they have a way of making everyone look at them and love them automatically. They're all...' I couldn't think of the right word.

'Incredibly 'Girly?' He suggested. 'Immature, people who 'live in the moment?'

I giggled at his dramatic statement. 'Exactly. It's not that I don't like them...'

He frowned. 'What do you mean?'

I was surprised to find that his voice came from less than a meter away. His hands reached out to grab the pole which I was secured to. I bit my lip and tried not to imagine him plummeting down to the ground, reaching his death.

'Be careful', I whispered, repeated what he had said to me earlier.

He grunted and finally planted his feet on the wood below my feet. 'This may still take a while', he said, motioning for me to continue.

'I can't be like them. Everything comes so easy for them, but nothing ever does for me.' I took another deep breath, looking away. 'Bad things happen to me.'

His voice was hard. 'Bad things?' He placed his rucksack on the wood and began to unzip it. I didn't understand what he was attempting to achieve so I ignored him, blocking him out so that I could focus on my story.

'I guess I just got messed up- first with my family and then with other people...'

His head snapped up suddenly and his eyes locked with mine. Feeling uncomfortable, I turned my head away, my eyes no longer meeting his. However, he rose from his crouch and tucked his thumb under my chin, pulling my face back so that his eyes once again connected with mine.

'Did anybody hurt you?' He asked softly.

My lips pressed into a tight line. I didn't answer him.

He looked deeply into my eyes, and I stared at his blue ones, getting lost in the colour. Before I can protest, he licks his thumb and brushes it down my arm, wiping off the layers of foundation that I had previously applied. Off came the peach colour; in came the scars, crimson against my flesh.

He took a small breath and squeezed his eyes shut. 'Are these just on your arms, or are they everywhere?' He said slowly, his eyes still closed.

I moved my head closer to his and whispered, 'everywhere.'

I stressed the word so that he could understand what I meant. The scars were all over my body, even in the places where nobody should have been touched unwillingly, never mind scarred.

'I know I don't really know you', he said. 'But I was glad when I found you here instead of Lily, and here is one thing that I do know: I'm never going to let anybody touch you like that again.'

This time, my lips curled up into a small smile and I closed my eyes.

He touched his lips lightly to my forehead. With his kiss, I gained bravery and he drove all the fear far, far away.``


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**Sorry for the delay- like with my other story, writing has been hard because stuff has been getting me down lately. BUT yesterday, I went to see HOLLY BOURNE the author of soulmates and got my books signed. She is amazing. For motivation, EVERY review is necessary for this story. **

**Thanks**

**Wanda POV**

My eyes wandered around the cold, dark and damp looking room. Ian's hands fumbled at my sides, undoing the knots that Melanie had presumably tied to hold me in place. Every time his skin came into contact with mine, I received more goosebumps on my already covered skin. The dress which stupidly, I had given into wearing, was becoming tight over my thighs, my feet aching from the heels.

Ian felt me shifting beneath his hands and looked up to meet my eyes. Feeling uncomfortable, i looked down again, ashamed for expecting him to do more than he was already. Getting me down from here was one thing. Making me comfortable while he did it was another. It was selfish of me to ask.

I had only just managed to hide my face in my hair when he tucked his finger beneath my chin and pulled my face up to look at him again. He studied me in the dark for what felt like a tremendously long amount of time.

'Wanda, what's wrong?' he asked.

I shrugged. 'Nothing', i whispered back. 'I'm fi-'

'Don't say fine', he interrupted.

My mouth automatically pressed into a tight line, cutting off all my words. His reaction wasn't exactly expected. U waited for him to continue.

Eventually, he leaned forwards and pressed his forehead against mine, his eyes squeezed shut. My hands fought against the restraints. If anything, Melanie had given off the opposite message. They were keeping me from touching him, not allowing me any means of freedom.

'I know you're not fine, Wanda. I know for a fact that that's not true, so you don't need to say it.'

I paused. 'I don't know what you want me to say.'

'You don't have to say anything', he said, going back to busying himself with the knots. He managed to shake one free, and my hand clutched at his back, tracing over the muscles of his arms. He took another step forwards until our bodies were lightly pressing against each other. I took this opportunity to bury my face in his shoulder. It was exactly what I needed.

'You can always be truthful with me. I know you might think that this is just a one off, but it's not.'

I wasn't sure what he was getting at but something inside me told me that personally, I seemed to like where the conversation was headed.

'I'm not letting you go anytime soon. Even if you don't need around, I will still help you in any way that I can.'

I smiled up at him, nervously. By the expression on his face, i could tell that the conversation had taken a bite out of his courage.

He leaned to whisper in my ear, 'sorry if I forced myself on you earlier.'

I tickled his shoulder, playfully. 'I don't know what you're talking about, but what I know is that I rather enjoyed myself.'

He patted my shoulder, clasping the hand of mine which was still shaking. He looked down to the shaft beneath us.

'Those shoes don't look comfortable', he mused.

I sighed. 'Don't ask, okay? That was Melanie's doing, not mine.'

He bent down and slipped them off gently. Just before my toes touched the cold surface, he slipped his converse beneath my feet, protecting me from the dirty surface and shifting my weight so I didn't fall.

'Thanks.'

'Don't worry about it. The ties are nearly off', he murmured.

I took a nervous glance at the watch on his wrist as it beeped a warning signal. There was little more than three minutes left. Ian shared my concerns and took my wrist in his hand, guiding it around his waist.

'You can hold onto me, you know. I don't bite', he joked.

I squeezed his waist tighter and hurried my face into his neck, savouring the warmth. He winced slightly, probably from the change of temperature, but didn't complain.

'You feel cold', he commented. Just as I opened my mouth to reply, he tore the final scraps of rope away from my waist and wrists, causing the whole structure if which we were mounted upon, to shudder and jerk violently. Ian lunged forwards and pinned me back to the pole, breathing deeply. I automatically wrapped my other arm round his waist and pulled myself into him for support.

He pulled off his leather jacket and draped it over my shoulders. 'Whatever you do, U don't want you to look down, okay?'

I gulped. 'Okay'.

When the shaking beneath us finally slowed, he set on getting us down. There were a few more hanging shafts to climb down from before we reached the platform. Ian kept his arms around me at all times and pulled the shafts inwards to create a smallest jump as possible. We made it down to the final shaft before the stopwatch beeped for the final time. We froze. The ringing echoed in the air.

We looked around, silent, and waiting. After a small while, nothing happened.

'What happens now?' I asked in a small voice, reaching out for his arm to steady myself.

He scanned the area once more before shrugging. 'I'm not exactly sure, to be quite honest. Im guessing that was just Mel's bluff?'

'Mel always seemed to make it clear that she was never, under any circumstances, bluffing.' I bit my lip.

'Maybe this was just a one off?' He offered, but his voice was weak. He was as equally as nervous as I seemed to be.

As clear as things seemed to be, we hadn't been stupid and were quite right to believe that something could go wrong at any moment. True to the statement, soon hell came crashing down. Literally.

I was mid step over the final, daunting gap, when a cry escaped from Ian's throat, hoarse and alert.

'Wanda! Watch out-'

It all happened in slow motion. The tool that Ian had used to jam the mechanisms in place was spluttered out of the system, sending the shafts crashing downwards.

A scream burst out of my mouth like a siren. Ian seized my shoulder and slammed my body forwards, my frame colliding with the concrete platform as my fingers clawed at the edge. My eyes cut off the world before me. It was only then that I became aware of the searing pain on the side of my head as I dangled off the edge of the concrete.

The event was inevitable. Ian towered above me, his face a mixture of shock and pain.

'Grab my hand.'

I clutched at the air desperately, receiving no hand in the process.

Ian stretched over the edge of the platform, too far over for safety.

'I can't. I think I've cut my leg...'

'i can sort that out Wanda. Just please grab my hand-'

I attempted to get a better hold while trying to check my leg. I could definitely feel the warmth of blood trickling down my left leg.

I had forgotten Ian's warning message from earlier.

'No!' he roared. Don't look down.'

My fingers were slipping. He reached over with one final grunt and took hold of my hand, pulling me up into the air, despite my weight, and onto the safety of the platform. Even though nothing could now hurt me, I automatically broke down into sobs.

He pulled me onto his lap and into his chest, wrapping his arms around me and stretching out my leg. His fingers lingered on my thigh.

'Bloody hell.'

I sniffed, letting my tears soak into his shirt.

He stroked my hair. You're okay', he soothed me. You're here. You're safe. I promise.'

He kicked the rucksack over the edge, letting it fall and join the broken shafts at the bottom. We both listened for it to hit the ground.

I decided that I would give myself five seconds. One to recover, the second to breathe, the third to bury the pain, the fourth to sit up straight and pull through, and finally, the fifth to decide how I felt about Ian.

I liked him. It was painfully obvious.

I kissed his cheek in a way which I hoped was gratefully and sweetly. He smiled and wiped away my tears for the second time today. Before I knew what was happening, he was removing his shirt.

I blushed and looked away. The image of his bare chest made me want to kiss every inch of his skin. Without it, I would probably be dead. Every bone of the body was a package deal. All or none.

To my surprise, he laughed. 'Don't look at me like that. I'm taking my shirt off to stop the bleeding in my leg. It's not like I'm stripping or anything.'

This made my cheeks heat up even more.

'Oh...'

True to his word, he wrapped it tightly over my leg. He pulled me up to my feet, supporting half if my weight while my right leg took on the duty of the other half.

'We need to get going.'

He looked down at my thighs being squeezed into the dress and tore the fabric with his fingers. I started to protest, but he cut me off, sweeping me up into his arms, propping my leg up carefully. My legs were covered by Ian's jacket.

'You have nothing to worry about.' He said, although his voice was strained.

We got about halfway down the stairs before I worked up the nerve to ask.

'Ian?'

He looked down at me. 'Yes, Wanda?'

I sighed. 'Have I done anything wrong?'

He snorted. 'Wrong? Hardly.'

His tone still wasn't light enough to be considered in the very least polite or wellbeing.

'Then what?'

He shook his head. 'I just don't get it.'

'Get what…?'

He slowed his pace, seeing me wincing from the bounce of his body dropping down each step.

'How your friends can treat you like that. Is she on something? Or was she just drunk?'

I frowned. 'Sometimes she just goes overboard-'

'Overboard?' He had now stopped completely, looking deeply into my eyes. 'Wanda, she could have gotten you killed. I'd say that that's going a little further than overboard.'

'She treats me better than most people', I muttered under my breath.

He chuckled and started to walk again. 'Well that is in my power to change.'

Eventually, we reached the landing of the stone staircase. The cold air fanned my face, and I pulled ians jacket tighter around me. He shifted me unsteadily in his arms.

'Do you think you can walk?' he asked, nervously.

I nodded. 'I'm sure my leg will be fine now.'

'Fine? God, you're a brave one, aren't you?' He mocked, ruffling my hair before dropping me down onto my feet. He let my weight back onto my own two legs gradually, slowly enough for me to adjust. Anyhow, he still kept an arm looped tightly around my waist at all times.

We walked around the outside of the building in the dark. At the end of the street, there was a shop all lit up with electric signs and banners. For some strange reason, we were headed in that direction.

I tugged back on his arm. 'Ian, where are we going?'

'I need to get a shirt, don't I?' He raised an eyebrow and glanced down at my leg.

Guilty. 'I'll pay?' I offered, moving my hand to my waist where my purse should have been hanging. Instead, my hand simply brushed across the rippled material of my dress. My mouth dropped open and formed an 'o' shape.

'Lost something?'

'My purse...' I replied.

My whole body was frozen. There was hundreds of dollars in that purse, if not, thousands. The bank had never been an option after an issue with one of the workers, and quite often, I found myself in need of emergency cash. Since there was no place safe enough to store it, I always carried it on me at all times. They were my life savings.

'How much was in it?' He asked, nervously.

I sighed and shook my head. 'Not a lot', I lied weakly. If he knew that I was totally broke, he wouldn't want to be around me, I was sure of it. My hands shook with worry, so I curled them behind my back.

'Great. Then I won't be long.'

True to his word, it didn't take him long to purchase another shirt. The whole time, in his absence, I worried. I needed to find the purse. However, no matter how hard I looked, it refused to reappear. i even tried clicking my fingers and whispering 'magic words' in hope that it might turn up out of the blue. That moment never happened.

He returned with a black shirt with short sleeves, despite the cold. He walked up to me and towed me further along the path. I closed my eyes and allowed him to pull me along.

'You tired?' He asked.

'A little.' My words both distracted him and myself. Where was I going to get more money from?

'Well we will be home soon. You don't have to worry.'

He was wrong, I did have to worry. How was it possible to live off twenty dollars stashed in a coat pocket?

'Wanda, you might have to open your eyes now', he laughed.

I obeyed him and my eyes sleepily fluttered open. I gasped in shock. Before us was an impressive looking bike, the electric kind with the motor, not the kind you would pedal to get it to move along. I traced a finger over its black shiny surface.

'No way! Is this yours?'

He smiled and nodded sheepishly.

'It can't be… when did you learn to drive this thing?'

'My brother taught me', he said. 'He can be quite a jerk, but not always. He was better than my parents, at least.'

I frowned. 'I'm sorry about that...'

There was an awkward silence. Luckily enough, it didn't last long.

'I guess we all have problems, eh?' He suggested, and I nodded.

'Definitely. Problems like how on earth I'm going to get on this thing.'

'Or problems that involve how I'm going to be able to concentrate on driving this thing with you on my back… especially with this dress.'

He ripped the material a little more, tracing his hands over me. My heart fluttered, and in that moment, he erased all my worries. All I wanted to do was kiss him, to be with him and let him protect me.

I acted out on some brave and outgoing instinct and wrapped my arms around his neck. His arms travelled down to my waist.

'Do you really like it?'

He pursed his lips. 'I like it, but I think you could do better.' He paused. 'It's a bit...'

'Melanie?'

We both laughed, and he lifted me up and onto the bike. The slackness of the dress allowed me to but my legs on either side of the seat.

'How's the leg?'

I ignored the throbbing. 'I'm sure it will be fine.'

He jumped on in front of me and kick-started the bike.

'Then let's go.'


End file.
